As the heat of summer builds and temperatures remain in the 80s or higher, get your chores completed in the cool of the morning or evening. You don’t want to be fussing with your plants in the heat of the day when bees are visiting or tomatoes are putting on fruit. (The exception, of course, is weeds — dig them anyplace, anywhere or anytime.)

VEGETABLES AND HERBS

• Cool-season, spring-planted leafy vegetables will usually taste bitter and go to seed during hot weather. Toss spent plants into the compost pile.

• Direct-seed more of these cool-season crops that can handle heat: Malabar spinach, a climbing, dark-green-leafed beauty; “Matchless” and “Larissa” butterhead lettuce; and Swiss chard, which you can use just like a cut-and-come-again lettuce all summer.

• Harvest peas in early morning when pods are still tender; store up to a week in refrigerator.

• Harvest broccoli while heads are still tight and green. Use a knife and cut at an angle. Many varieties will continue producing side shoots. Store up to two weeks in refrigerator.

• Harvest cabbage heads any time before they split; store up to three weeks in refrigerator.

• Potatoes can be harvested about 10 weeks after planting when flowers have faded and plant turns yellow. Carefully dig down close to a plant stem and check the size. Store in a dark, cool place (not the refrigerator) and wash right before cooking.

• Beets are ready about 60 days after planting. Smaller beets, 2 to 3 inches across, are delicious as are the green leafy tops. Store up to two weeks in refrigerator.

• Too much nitrogen fertilizer on tomatoes will cause more leafy growth, reducing fruit production. If the soil is low in nitrogen, the plant will be very susceptible to early blight, with yellow lower leaves being an early indicator. Fertilize lightly when tomatoes reach 2 inches in diameter using a water soluble nitrogen or dry granular (ammonium sulfate, one tablespoon sprinkled in a wide circle around each plant). Avoid overapplying: More: www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/Gardennotes/718.html

• Lavender is one of the stars of the garden right now. An outstanding, drought-tolerant sub-shrub, lavender has it all — fragrance, bloom, medicinal and culinary uses plus easy care. Gather the leaves just as they open and dry on trays or hang in small bundles. Save some flowers to use in ice cream, infuse in honey or decorate fruit salads. Rub fresh flowers onto skin or pin a sprig on clothes to keep away flies. The leaves and flowers make wonderful sleep pillows. Add to sachets and toss into drawers to scent linens and to naturally repel moths. More: www.ext.colostate .edu/pubs/garden/07245.html

INSECT WATCH

• There have been many early sightings of the white-lined sphinx (Hyles lineata) flying moth. Often mistaken for hummingbirds as they feed on nectar in late afternoon or evening, the species often delights gardeners. The larvae, known as hornworms, can grow up to 3 inches and vary in colors from green with yellow, black and red markings to nearly black.

• There are more than 30 types of hummingbird moths in Colorado.

• The adult white-lined sphinx has a wing span of two to four inches and is colored with mottled brown, gray and pink with a white band running through its center. As larvae, they feed on evening primrose, wild grape, portulaca and elm, willow and cottonwood trees, but do little damage.

• They are bothered by few insects (aphids on occasion), but can suffer leaf scorch if not properly watered year-round, especially during dry winters. Very long-lived, lindens can tolerate Colorado’s alkaline, clay soils along with its high winds, freeze cycles and drought.

• Whether you have “American,” “Littleleaf,” “Greenspire” or “Redmond” linden, you’ll get clusters of fragrant, creamy-yellow star-shaped flowers in late spring. The flowers attract bees (linden honey is highly regarded) and can be used to make tea. The far-reaching, sweet-smelling scent is somewhere between citrus, honey and vanilla. Open your windows and enjoy.

• The flowers are attached to a large, pale, greenish-yellow bract. Small nut-like fruit appears after the flowers. Some people find the nuts and bracts a nuisance — both fall to the ground or into house gutters after flower bloom. More: www.ext. colostate.edu/ptlk/1734.html

IN THE LANDSCAPE

• Keep an eye on annuals and herbs so they look sharp and flower well all summer. Stems that grow out and have less bloom will benefit from being cut or pinched back a few inches. Do this before heading out for the weekend or vacation, and you’ll return to fuller, happier plants. Be sure someone waters for you while you’re away.

• Make your final pinch of mums this weekend so the plants will flower in late summer into fall.

• Examine leaf foliage on annuals, perennials and shrubs including evergreens, vegetables and roses. If leaves appear flecked, scorched or bronzed, they might have spider mites, which are very common during hot, dry periods. Webs will be evident on plants. Rely on predatory enemies of mites, including lady beetles and minute pirate bugs for control, along with adequate watering. Regularly hose off plants, as well. More: www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05507.html

• Leaf-cutter bees cut perfect circles or ovals out of rose leaves. They use this leaf matter to build nest cells and do no other harm. They are beneficial pollinators in the garden, so don’t spray — learn to live with the imperfect leaves.

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